Lima, OH

What a disappointment Lima has been, I got here and they were not expecting me, told me they never received the contract but made a space for me anyway.  I was put way down at the end opposite from where the main vendors and the building was.  People came past me but many said they almost missed me.

We did poorly in sales too, I have closed up early tonight instead of Monday as there are supposed to be storms tomorrow.  There were high winds and some rain showers today.. 

The winds got me today, I had attached the shelves to the insides of the tent by the legs but the ornament shelves got dumped over today, spilling all the ornaments.  Approximately 12 of them were totally broken and 6 or so got chips in them.  I may be able to repair some of them, due to the tiny chips that came out.. just surface ones.

I am so tired and my right arm is still hurting.  I must have injured it at one of the shows and the pain is just below my elbow.  I might have to have it x-rayed as the pain is more intense, I'm taking advil and aleve but no relief. It's starting to interfer with every day stuff.

We probably won't come back to Lima in the future, it's an outdoor show and the ground is not very even, very soft and hard to keep the tent stable due to the stakes not staying in the ground during high winds.

Putting up the big tent takes a toll on me, it's heavy and takes time. It would be nice if I could just to inside shows, with the rolling shelves it's easier to do them.  I only have one scheduled this summer in Harrisburg.

I have some vendor friends that do woodworking, but they want alot for their wholesale products.  I don't know that I can afford to carry their stuff.  I have overhead, booth space, shipping, etc and they want to have the higher percentage.

Storms

We've been in Wapakoneta, OH this last week, got here on monday and will not leave until friday morning in time to setup at Lima which is just a 15 mile jaunt up the road.

The storms have been interesting, hot and muggy and missing us most of the week but last night (wed) we had a big one..  Lots of concern about tornado's due to the high amount of wind, electricity and thunder all around us.  It passed quickly and nothing happened, got a knock on the door telling us that if we wanted we could take shelter in the bathrooms.

Couldn't leave the dogs and they are not welcome in the buildings so just rode it out here.  The news was very informative, kept us updated every few minutes and we enjoyed a nice tv show in the meantime.

Went to Walmart today on my bicycle (hot and muggy after the storm) and overheard people talking about how scared they were with the possibility of tornado's... I can't let myself get worried, God is in control and He will protect us as He sees fit.  His hand has been on us the whole time and we praise Him for it.  He sees the sparrow or robin fall, how much more does He watch over us.

Both Peter and I have been feeling the physical effects of the storms around us, mine due to the fibro and the arthritis, his due to ????

He's been pale and not doing well this week, nausea, upset stomach, etc... I've been doing ok except for the mucsle aches..  my right arm has been aching from the shoulder to the wrist, mostly around the elbow all week.  I may have hurt it taking down the tent this last weekend in Valparaiso, IN.  I used the 20' and that requires alot of lifting to get the legs out.

I've set up the trailer even nicer, I put together another shelf, this one not rolling in which I will hold the large tent legs and connectors.  

Then on the top 4 shelves I am putting the 1/4" leather which I work on during the show.  Makes it easier on Peter if he only has to do the full braided leashes and collars.  I'm cutting the 1/4" leather to length, putting on the handle and cutting the slits for the hardware which he finishes for me.  Putting the snaps on is hard on my hands and I just don't have the capabilities with then that I used to.  Any tugging on leather or small stuff like that and they swell immediately and ache like crazy.

I can still work on the miniature workworking and cutting other items.  I'm getting my scrollsaw books assembled for some fun this summer.  I want to make some napkin holders with dog heads on them... just for fun and if I sell any that's great, if not, I'll have a great relaxation device!!

Valparaiso, IN

We've been here since last tuesday, the fairgrounds would not let us stay the night so we had to go 15 miles east to stay at a RV park.  Very expensive and hardly any amenities. Then on wednesday we came and started setup.  My trailer was right behind the tent making it very easy to setup.  I tethered the tent to the trailer due to the high winds and storms.

The first two days the weather was sweltering, up in the 80's both days... it's hard to work in the heat like that.  I have a fan to help but even so, overheated alot.  I've been fighting a bug, stomach ache, head ache, dizzy, naseau, cramping... hard to keep smiling with all that going on.

We did well here, almost exactly the same amount as last year... there were more people, but due to unemployment, high prices of gas and goods, people are being more careful with their purchases.

Lyn, Hoshi's breeder came up and evaluated Hoshi, she agrees with me that there is something wrong with Hoshi's left foot.  It turns out more than it should.  Doesn't seem to hinder Hoshi at all, but could be a deformity that will hinder her in the conformation ring.  

We have decided to not show her for a while and let her grow more.  Her chest development will continue, dropping, expanding, pushing her elbows out and turning her feet straighter.  We will wait and see, not pushing her physcially and see how it all turns out.

Lyn has said that she would like to me to continue with Hoshi's obedience, rally and agility training which is what I've wanted to do all along.

We will evaluate her every 6 months to see if her feet are straightening out and if she will be capable of getting her championship in conformation.

She and I have a very strong bond, she greets all who come into the tent, even if they ignore her.  But she looks to me for security, food, fun and affection.  We have alot of fun together, and she minds me very well.  I've got a book on competition obedience and we're taking it one step at a time.

The dog breed flags are taking off, people are purchasing them one and two at a time.  I ordered some stands in this last order and would have sold them all if FEX EX had not lost them.  The company sent out two boxes, one with the flags in it and the second with the stands.  FedEx delivered the first box and had the office sign for both the boxes.  I called, they promised it would be delivered the next day, nothing!! I called again and again they promised delivery, NOTHING!  I called the third time and begged to have the local office call me... still nothing!

Now I've emailed the company that sent them and left it in their hands!!  We have to continue on.

The paw and bone spinners are selling good...  they are 7" spinners, and very nice.

We're in Wapakoneta, OH this next week.  We don't have to be at the fairgrounds until friday for setup.  It will be nice to see Debbie and John again this year... it's relaxing to be at their KOA.  They have two dog parks and it's fun to have Hoshi and Nougat out in them.

Kalamazoo, MI

We at the fairgrounds in Kalamazoo, we decided to stay here for the week before the show so that we can ramp up on product.  I've done lots of mailing of product, Peter is making leather like crazy.. .  we were completely out of red and have now gotten alot of it made up.

We're very busy in the summer with alot of larger shows and all the leather will go very quickly.  Peter has to be ahead of the game before we start so that he can keep up with all the special orders that will be coming in at each show.

I've got alot of the other products ordered, so that we'll have plenty to last us the first half of the summer.

Hoshi and I have been taking the bike around the fairgrounds two or three times each day, inbetween the thunder storms and the high winds.  We had 50+ mph winds yesterday and the humidity is over 70%.  It's a muggy situation, when the wind does blow it drys the grass out quickly but the moisture stays in the air.

God is good, we are thankful for each day, His protection over us is complete!

RV Computer!!!

Can you believe it!!  It's not the transmission at all but the computer that controls the transmission and engine.  It's not telling them anything so they rely on defaults which for the transmission is 2nd gear and reverse and the engine get regular spurts of gas so that makes it choke out under a load.  

It's wonderful that the problem has been found.  Now they will fix it and we'll get back on the road to the next show which is just 85+ miles down the road in kalamazoo, MI.

We'll be coming back to this shop to get the frame fixed as the mechanic found that the tag axle is about to fall off and the frame at that point is cracked.  We'll be back up here the end of June on our way to Ann Arbor for a show and they will have the parts to fix it then.

God is sure watching out for us... bringing us to this place just when we needed them.  They actually are master mechanics for the chassis that holds our RV which is a P30 Workhorse with the tag as an add on.

So we're just sitting in their parking lot working on our stuff, taking orders, mailing out orders, etc... nice and warm inside the RV and completely at home.

Thanks for all the prayers that are going up for us... God is listening and doing things in His timing.

1st Week in June

God is watching over us, CPE Nationals was great, we did nice business and wound up with a goodly amount.  We went out to the grocery store today and right there on the roadside was a shop with RV's around it.  (donerightautorv.com) We stopped in on our way back due to the fact that the starter started making noises like a huge remote control airplane and wouldn't start the RV.  They said that yes it sounds like the starter has blown a coil or something and they can fix it tomorrow and they also will look at the transmission to see what's wrong with it.  Praise the Lord, He knows what we need.

The dog breed garden flags are selling well as are the ornaments.  The spinners have slowed down but two new ones have finally come out, small bone and small paw spinners... they are cute even though only in copper color.  I'll have to get another two dozen each this next week.  I did well with the walky dogs too, sold 5 this week.  My bike got a flat the first day here so Hoshi and I were wheel-less.

The fairgrounds set up a huge fenced in area for the dogs to play off leash and Hoshi took advantage of it.  When there are other dogs around she gets them to chase her, not many can catch her if she's fresh, she is a real speedy one... and she can turn sharply to throw them off.  I can just see her catching a wild rabbit, it wouldn't have a chance to get away from her.

UKC at Kalamazoo emailed and offered us a spot at their show.  It's their yearly national so will be big with lots of people.  Starts on the 12th and goes through the weekend, then we'll be on our way to Valparaiso, IN for another confirmation show.

This week we're taking it easy, Peter's caught my cold which I'm almost over and we need to make alot of leather leashes so that we'll have them to sell at the next few shows.  We're going to take the time to straighten up the RV, spring cleaning.  The dogs like to drag everything out that they can grab, their toys are scattered everywhere.  We pick the toys up and put them away and they just want to play with them and leave them where they lay!!  

The weather up here is very nice, cold at night [in the 40's] and warm during the day [up to 80] - the air conditioner works very nice, keeping us kool.  Michigan is a very pretty state, lots of lakes and trees... I wouldn't want to stay here in the winter, snow would be deep.

God is watching over us, we pray for our children and family that they would also recognize God's hand in their lives.. He is so GREAT!